Danske Spil CEO calls for whistle-to-whistle ad ban
Niels Erik Folmann believes a live sport advertising ban will “limit the temptation among young vulnerable gamblers”
Danske Spil CEO Niels Erik Folmann has called for Danish operators to follow the lead of the UK gambling industry by introducing a whistle-to-whistle advertising ban during live sport broadcasts.
In December, the UK’s Remote Gambling Association (RGA) and Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) agreed that gambling ads would be banned during pre-watershed live sport, starting from five minutes before the event begins until five minutes after it finishes.
And Folmann wants Danish betting firms to adopt a similar stance to help combat problem gambling, as operators in the country continue to negotiate a common code of conduct before the spring.
Danske Spil CEO Niels Erik Folmann
Folmann said: “We strongly believe that now is the time where we must discuss if we should let the viewers watch a game of football without interruptions from gambling commercials and expose viewers for our commercial messages on other occasions.
“We would like to discuss whether we’ve reached the saturation point regarding commercials and whether we should preserve a football match or a handball match from commercials including the half time break.”’
“We are aware of the marketing regarding live bets is related to the amount of live bets placed and we believe that a ban on whistle-to-whistle commercials limits the temptation among young vulnerable gamblers.
“We believe that we can limit the risk of becoming a gambling addict and that’s another good argument,” he added.
Operators with a retail estate like Danske Spil stand to benefit from an ad ban.
The Danish Online Gambling Association could not be reached for comment.
The UK ad ban will come into force by August 2019 to coincide with the new football season.